Spreadtrum Extends Partnership with Facebook

Spreadtrum Communications (News - Alert), a fabless semiconductor provider in China, recently announced that it has extended its partnership with Facebook. As a result, Android (News - Alert) smartphones designed with Spreadtrum's chipsets will continue to have Facebook for users outside China. Moreover, Facebook software will be tested and optimized for the user's application experience using Spreadtrum's mobile platform, enabling handset makers to integrate Facebook's (News - Alert) most updated features in their products.

'We are pleased to work with Spreadtrum to deliver a high quality application experience to many of the consumers around the world who will be buying smartphones for the first time in 2013,' said Vaughan Smith, vice president of Mobile Partnerships and Corporate Development at Facebook. 'Working with Spreadtrum will extend Facebook's reach in emerging markets, leveraging the rapid shift from feature phones to smartphones that is now taking place globally.'

'Facebook has a global appeal and is focused on delivering great experiences on mobile,' said Dr. Leo Li, chairman and CEO of Spreadtrum Communications. 'Our collaboration with Facebook enables us to provide handset makers with the best, most updated feature set from Facebook as part of our mobile platform.'

Meanwhile, MediaTek (News - Alert) and Spreadtrum Communications has become the biggest winner in the 2012 Q4 TD mobile phone bidding launched by China Mobile (News - Alert) Ltd. Though China Mobile has not confirmed the news, an upstream component dealer said it was true that nine mobile phone models on the shortlist of the bidding will adopt chips from MediaTek and Spreadtrum Communications.